TDS

What TDS does

TDS (Telephone and Data Systems) is a publicly traded U.S. telecommunications holding company (NYSE: TDS) operating primarily through its TDS Telecommunications LLC subsidiary, delivering fiber-backed high-speed internet, IP-based TV entertainment, traditional home phone, and 5G mobile wireless services to approximately 1.1–1.2 million residential and small business connections across rural and suburban markets in the Midwest, Mountain West, Southwest, and Western United States. Its network infrastructure is built on fiber-optic and DOCSIS cable broadband, with over 1 million fiber addresses passed and a long-term target of 2.1 million locations; flagship consumer products include TDS Internet (speeds up to 8 Gig in select areas), TDS TV+ (cloud DVR with integrated streaming apps and voice remote), TDS Whole Home Wi-Fi, and TDS Mobile. The business model is predominantly recurring subscription revenue across residential tiers (300 Mbps to 8 Gig, promotional rates such as 1 Gig at $49.99/month) and business tiers (100% fiber, VoIP via managedIP, dedicated internet access, data networking, and hosted-managed services), complemented by one-time equipment/installation fees and, in 2026, substantial transaction gains from the $1.018 billion AT&T C-band spectrum sale.

The company is undergoing a strategic transformation following the 2025 sale of its UScellular wireless business to T-Mobile, leaving TDS positioned as a focused fiber and broadband operator with $1.37 billion in cash on hand at the end of Q1 2026 and 2026 revenue guidance of $1.015–1.055 billion against $310–350 million adjusted EBITDA. It is simultaneously executing a $550–600 million 2026 capital program to accelerate fiber buildout (including E-ACAM rural broadband initiatives), pursuing a buyout of its Array Digital Infrastructure tower subsidiary, and operating dedicated business sales channels targeting verticals such as healthcare, financial services, retail, restaurants, local government, and houses of worship. Governance and legal structure span a Delaware-incorporated parent (Telephone and Data Systems, Inc.), TDS Telecommunications LLC and TDS Broadband Service LLC as operating subsidiaries (both governed by Illinois law), and a Madison, WI headquarters with a regional operations office in St. George, UT.

Name

TDS

Legal name

TDS Telecommunications LLC

Website

https://hellotds.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

TDS (NYSE: TDS) is a publicly traded U.S. telecommunications company delivering fiber-backed high-speed internet, IP-based TV, home phone, and 5G mobile services to roughly 1.1–1.2 million residential and business connections across rural and suburban markets in the Midwest, Mountain West, Southwest, and Western United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Telecommunications Services

NAICS

Wired Telecommunications Carriers (517111), Wireless Telecommunications Carriers (except Satellite) (517112), Telecommunications Resellers (517121)

SIC

Telephone Communications (No Radiotelephone) (4813), Cable & Other Pay Television Services (4841)

akta.pro primary industry

Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) Operators (HDAIACAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Fiber-to-the-Premises (FTTP/FTTH) Broadband Providers (HDAIABAC)

Keywords

• Fiber broadband internet
• Residential internet service
• Business communications solutions
• IPTV entertainment
• Mobile wireless service

Headquarters

HQ city

Alamogordo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Residential Internet, TV, and Phone Services: Recurring monthly subscription revenue from residential customers for high-speed internet, TV entertainment, and home phone services. Includes tiered pricing based on speed tiers (300 Mbps to 8 Gig) and bundled service packages.
2. Business Communications Solutions: Recurring revenue from business customers for 100% fiber internet, VoIP services, dedicated internet access, data networking, and hosted-managed services. Revenue guided at $1.015-1.055 billion for 2026.
3. Mobile Services: Monthly subscription revenue from TDS Mobile services featuring nationwide 5G coverage, unlimited talk and text plans. Bundled pricing available with internet services.
4. Equipment and Installation Fees: One-time fees for Wi-Fi equipment ($19.95 handling fee), installation services, and related hardware purchases.
5. Spectrum Transaction Gains: One-time gains from spectrum asset sales including the $1.018 billion AT&T C-band spectrum sale closed January 13, 2026, generating approximately $150.9 million book gain in Q1 2026.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

TDS is a U.S. regional telecommunications provider that sells bundled high-speed fiber-backed internet (up to 8 Gigabit), IP-based TV entertainment (TDS TV+ with cloud DVR and integrated streaming), traditional home phone, 5G mobile wireless service, and whole-home Wi-Fi to residential customers in rural and suburban communities. For businesses, TDS offers dedicated fiber internet, managedIP VoIP communications, data networking, and hosted-managed services, serving small to mid-sized organizations and government customers across multiple U.S. states.

Product overview

TDS (Telephone and Data Systems) is a telecommunications provider offering a bundled portfolio of residential and business services. For residential customers, the core offerings include TDS Internet (fiber-backed high-speed internet up to 8 Gig), TDS TV+ (IP-based TV with cloud DVR and streaming integration), TDS Home Phone (traditional landline), and TDS Mobile (5G wireless). Supporting products include TDS Whole Home Wi-Fi for whole-home coverage and TDS Internet Security Suite for device protection. TDS Connect serves as the company's information and blog platform. For business customers, TDS Business Solutions provides VoIP communications, dedicated fiber internet, data networking, and hosted-managed services. The company also operates legacy Digital TV services with CatchTV DVR. TDS is expanding its fiber network infrastructure, having surpassed 1 million fiber addresses and raising its addressable market goal to 2.1 million locations, while also leveraging spectrum assets through sales and lease arrangements with major carriers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TDS TV+: IP-based TV entertainment solution with cloud DVR, integrated streaming apps, local and regional sports channels
• TDS Whole-Home Wi-Fi
• TDS Connect
• TDS Mobile
• managedIP
• UScellular
• Array Digital Infrastructure

Products and services

• TDS Internet High-speed internet service delivered via TDS's fiber-rich network offering speeds up to 8 Gigabit in select areas, with 99% network reliability, lower latency for real-time applications, and tiered plans ranging from 300 Mbps to 8 Gig for residential customers.
• TDS TV+ IP-based TV entertainment solution integrating live TV, regional sports, streaming apps, cloud DVR, FOX ONE streaming integration, and voice remote control into a unified platform for residential subscribers.
• TDS Home Phone Traditional landline phone service with reliable call clarity, 911 location services, and multiple plan options for residential customers.
• TDS Mobile Mobile phone service featuring nationwide 5G coverage, unlimited talk and text plans, no contracts, and a 30-day money-back guarantee, available standalone or bundled with TDS Internet.
• TDS Business Solutions Comprehensive business communications portfolio including 100% fiber internet, VoIP, dedicated internet access, data networking, and hosted-managed services for small to mid-sized businesses and enterprise organizations.
• managedIP Phone System Voice-over-IP business communications solution providing HD audio, voicemail-to-email integration, and mobile integration features, deployed for municipal, insurance, legal, and other small-to-mid-sized business customers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Q1 2026 adjusted EBITDA increased 49% to $144.5 million driven by spectrum sale gains
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered major and minor.

• AT&TmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 June 2026TDS completed a $1.018 billion C-band spectrum sale to AT&T, closed January 13, 2026. The transaction was part of TDS's strategic shift away from wireless infrastructure toward fiber-focused operations. AT&T acquired spectrum assets from TDS as part of broader industry spectrum consolidation.
• T-MobilemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTDS receives $34.2 million in short-term imputed spectrum lease income from T-Mobile as part of a spectrum sharing arrangement. T-Mobile also acquired UScellular's wireless business (a TDS subsidiary) in 2025, changing the competitive dynamics in TDS service territories.
• Array Digital InfrastructureminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTDS submitted a buyout proposal for Array Digital Infrastructure. Array is a subsidiary where TDS holds a significant ownership stake. The proposed buyout reflects TDS's strategy to consolidate its tower and wireless infrastructure holdings.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Cable One: Cable One operates as a rural-focused broadband and cable provider across smaller U.S. markets with a fiber-backed network upgrade program. Its subscriber base, rural market orientation, and bundled residential broadband model closely parallel TDS.
• Consolidated Communications: Consolidated Communications provides broadband, voice, and data services to rural and suburban customers, recently taken private. Its target markets, fiber expansion efforts, and bundled residential/business product mix are highly comparable to TDS Telecom.
• Windstream: Windstream, operating post-restructuring as a fiber-focused wholesale and enterprise provider, serves similar rural and mid-sized markets with fiber and broadband services. Both companies target the same customer segments and pursue fiber-first strategies in lower-density geographies.
• Mediacom Communications: Mediacom is one of the largest rural-focused cable broadband providers in the U.S., serving smaller markets and tier-3 cities. Its rural market focus, cable plant upgrade approach, and bundled residential service mix make it a direct comparable to TDS.
• Frontier Communications: Frontier is a facilities-based fiber and wireline broadband provider serving predominantly rural and suburban markets across the U.S. Its fiber expansion strategy, customer profile, and product set (fiber internet, voice, TV) closely mirror TDS Telecom's footprint and bundled service model.

Broad incumbents

• Charter Communications: Charter operates the Spectrum-branded cable broadband platform across much of the U.S., expanding into rural and adjacent markets that historically were TDS territory. Charter's DOCSIS and emerging fiber-capable network directly competes with TDS fiber offerings.
• AT&T: AT&T is a national incumbent wireline and wireless carrier and the buyer of TDS's $1.018B C-band spectrum in January 2026. AT&T competes with TDS in adjacent broadband markets and is itself aggressively expanding fiber into suburban and mid-density territories.
• Lumen Technologies: Lumen is a large incumbent telecom with fiber, enterprise networking, and voice services spanning consumer and wholesale markets. While broader in scope, Lumen overlaps with TDS in fiber broadband delivery, business VoIP, and carrier services.
• Cox Communications: Cox Communications is a major cable broadband, TV, and voice provider with a footprint in suburban and mid-density markets. Cox competes with TDS across segments where their geographies overlap and represents another large, well-capitalized incumbent.
• Verizon: Verizon is a national incumbent telecom and wireless carrier with a growing Fios fiber footprint. It competes with TDS for residential and small-business broadband customers in overlapping markets and represents the kind of large, well-capitalized competitor TDS competes against at the edges.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/tdstelecom
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/TDSTelecommunication
• Facebookfacebook.com/TDSTelecommunications
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tonaquint-networks

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about TDS